Building my StewMac STRATOCASTER | My New Favorite DIY Guitar Kit

Step by step through the processing of building my favorite DIY guitar from the StewMac S Style Electric Guitar Kit.
This video is NOT sponsored by StewMac. All my opinions are my true and unbiased beliefs. StewMac and I have no special relationship. Actually, Stew... why don't we have a special relationship? Am I not special to you? I didn't even get a Valentine in the mail.
Individual audio tracks recorded with this guitar can be found here:
drive.google.com/drive/folder...

[@stewmac]

Really nice job on both the build and the video. 😎👍

[@BrianGossard]

Hey, if you guys would be interested in doing a collaboration, reach out to me. I have some ideas.

[@oliverread5153]

@@BrianGossard lol

[@EliazerLopezNica]

Where can I buy this DIY Guitar kits?

[@matthewf1979]

Those Fender tuners have different length posts to eliminate the string tree. The longest posts go to the E & A, medium D & G and shortest B & E. Since you already installed the tree, it doesn’t really matter but for the looks.

[@ryanmonteclaro4616]

Your correct man

[@bjstein4242]

Its the first thing I noticed.. the staggered posts are great when used correctly.. String trees unless graphite cause issues..

[@YooTooobJeff]

There are no medium, there's 2 long and 4 short... They're called staggered tuners

[@greggpospiel629]

You made that look easy. I am getting started into building with almost no woodworking experience, and this looks like a great first project to try to get started. I thought the soldering might be more complicated but you made that part look fairly easy too. Great job on the guitar and video.

[@prelovedguitarsni1436]

Please tell me you noticed the tuners s are installed wrongly, it is unbelievably noticable as they are staggered. The tallest go closest to the nut, shortest further away & when installed properly you don't need a string tree.

[@humbertobereta2376]

I saw that too, decided read first because someone should already reported and you did

[@briank6789]

I loudly gasped when I saw that!

[@Dirge4july]

Lol wrongly he says. You mean wrong.

[@prelovedguitarsni1436]

@@Dirge4july no I mean wrongly, correct use of English.

[@spankmonkeybeatz-8283]

@Preloved Guitars NI lmao damnn💀

[@jimdoner3443]

Nice job loved your swivel set up to paint it. Great utility with the neck pocket.looks and sounds great!!!

[@BrianGossard]

Thanks! Great to see you again in the comments, Jim.

[@GilderGeek_Creations]

Awesome job on the build, and production of this video!

[@dustybeta4055]

This is the kind of video I'd probably watch even if I wasn't interested in the subject matter. Real How It's Made vibe with the editing and narration.

[@jcspaziano]

Great video! Love the flow! that guitar came out great!

[@markmckenna3615]

Brian, great video with lots of great tips. Just ordered a StewMac Tele kit. Can't wait to get started.

[@pmkconsultant]

Hey Brian. Thanks for this super helpful and very well-done video! I think you've convinced me to give this a shot!

[@leftymadrid]

Ah, wait a minute! What did I just watch! Boy, what a pleasure that was! Seriously, there are tons of videos out there. But the way this video was put together was just perfect. Narration so intelligent, so understandable. I mean the English used here Is so very unaffected by today's butchered language. I will also add, I found the voice tone so soothing to the ear. Apart from being a guitarist and loving Stratocaster guitars for their unique feel and tone, the last thing I thought I would be commenting on was on how far "the human touch" can make one aware that there still seem to be incredibly nice folks out there sharing their doings with others, AND in such a natural pleasant, simple (yet hard to find) way of communication. As for the Stratocaster build from StewMac, it looks like a perfect DIY to take up. I'm sure one can come up with something very playable, and comfortable to play. Oh, I totally agree on the up grade of the pickups. I'm sure your wonderful daughter will remember partaking in daddy's guitar DIY project in the future :-) because in the end, all the life long acquired loving memories are what we can take with us... Thank you sir, for the video in its self, and for the great tips on your DIY Stratocaster build, but most of all, for the "human touch" and legit english spoken here! :-) :-)

[@BrianGossard]

Thank you for taking the time to say all of that. You sir, have made me glad I actually read the comments today! Really you made my day! Thank you.

[@tomclementsmusic1654]

Great video, wish I could finish a guitar like that. 2 things I noticed you B string tuner should where the A string tuner is. Also the radius gauges improved my playing across the fretboard once I used them to set my strats. Great demo at the end too btw! Really enjoyed this video

[@Dirge4july]

I’d like to note that you should not use a radius block to sand down frets. That’s to put a radius on a fret board without frets. To give the wood a radius. Use a flat level beam to level frets. Nice build!

[@BrianGossard]

That is what the instructions say. How exactly would we sand them without one? If we used a flat block, we would throw the radius of the frets off completely.

[@patheticpigeon7673]

@@BrianGossard using a beam is a much better option, especially when dealing with a compound radius. Using a radius block on a 12-16 inch compound neck would make the frets closer to the body thinner and uneven towards the end since radius towards the body is flatter. A beam is just a better alternative since you naturally follow the radius of the frets when sanding back and forth from the nut to the body. This is much more accurately down with a long beam so that it always stays flat and even when sanding.

[@ifensler]

I wouldn't listen to this advice. The frets are not supposed to be flat.

[@closetjimi]

@@ifensler except it’s not flat. It’s like trying to hand sand a bump. The paper follows the curve of the bump. Whereas in this case an incorrect radius block will be useless but a straight beam will follow the radius of the fret naturally.

[@EbonyPope]

@@patheticpigeon7673 This am isn't a compound radius though so it doesn't really apply. And while you can use a leveling beam is never as accurate as a radius block since you might find the radius with the beam more or less but it really depends on how long you sand in the same spot. And since doing things by eye is never really accurate a radius block works yield much more precise results and maintain the radius. That's what it's there for

[@ChrisCovers78]

Excellent job! Really enjoyed this video.

[@daniellelacivita4587]

I feel like this video is for experienced people in this field but you did go over everything very detailed and educationally I liked it very much

[@pdbordelon]

Looks fantastic!

[@savoirfaire8979]

You know you’re getting older when a suburban guy is playing 2000-era emo rock for his build demo. But seriously, this is the best video I have seen thus far in my research on Strat building over the last few months.

[@BrianGossard]

It’s my song by the way, but yes 2000s emo rock.

[@miltonpomales5405]

I assembled an Ukulele kit from StewMac. This will be one of my future projects as long as they make it as leftie!!! Great job and explanation!!!

[@corsisongs]

New subscriber, just found the channel. Inspired man!Fantastic narration and presentation and I was in it all the way through and when you hit that chord, I hit that subscribe and bell button. Cheers!

[@ScootersGroove0801]

Very informative. I want one!!!

[@tremendoshd2356]

13:00 tuners are in wrong. The two tall ones are for the low e and a string so they re not at an extreme angle

[@phililpb]

also as they are staggered tuners if they were put in correctly you may not need the string tree

[@charvelgaming2975]

That strat turned out very nice. Good job

[@JustinWoo]

Big Jimmy Eat World vibes at the end there! Love it! Thanks for this great video!

[@willland1243]

I just watched your video and it was very nice and you made a great guitar. You made me want to try to do it the video wasn't to high tech or hard to watch.😃👌 You build a great looking and sounding instrument and I look forward to seeing your next video. Peace and Blessings to you.🙂👍

[@GUITARKITWORLD]

Woah! That Stratocaster ended up really beautiful, Brian! Very impressed how you built it.. or finished it rather! haha yeah I agree the Strat kit super easy to build perfect for first time builders. And oh! love the quality of your video man! You're very artistic in editing. Just wow!

[@BrianGossard]

Thank you so much! That’s so cool. I’ll have to check out your channel.

[@GUITARKITWORLD]

@@BrianGossard Welcome, Brian!

[@BernRappold]

Nice guitar. Thanks!

[@KBryanWhite]

Love the video. I was decluttering and found an old off brand strat copy made by a company named Bently. It has been sitting in a closet for 30 years but I took it apart years before i really even knew how to play. And the pick ups, jack and tremolo/bridge is missing. Recently, I have decided I want a strat, but i don't want to pay an arm and leg for it. So i was kicking around the idea of buying all new hardware and pick ups for the Bently, however after seeing this video, it maybe easier and more economical to go with this kit. It looks interesting and fun! Thanks!

[@JosePineda-jn8jk]

For that end-grain issue I have seen that before when the wood is sealed and then we go to sand it flat to apply the primer (or alternatively when the primer is on there and it is being sanded flat) if you burn back through down to the wood it creates an uneven color. The thing that I found that works is if you do notice those blotchy marks and they are unsealed while everything around it is sealed, some tung oil usually helps match the color. If that doesn’t work sometimes some reddish brown stain on there will also help to even it all out. One thing I have seen in the past that I also wanted to mention was sometimes glue bleeds through mahogany and it’s entirely possible that the glue is affecting the color and that’s why all of it looks uneven. Just some thoughts for future projects.

[@LunchBXcrue]

I can't wait to do this! I've owned so many guitars now over the years I couldn't name them all, lots of Les Pauls, a bunch of different ibanez (Ibanezes? Ibanezs? Ibanie if you would? Not sure what the plural for that would be). A few months ago I traded my ESP LTD EC1000 in the matte black finish (with gold hardware, damn matte black and gold look so good together) and picked up an Ibanez RDG61ALA in black with the rain forest colour, first time usng fishmans as well. I had only ever used EMGs before but its really cool how many different tones you can get, neck, bridge, neck and bridge, pull the knob for a second voicing for all those or flip a switch that turns off one coil in each humbucker. Also was the first guitar I've had with a 26.5 inch scale so its awesome for playing in C standard but lately I've been playing just as must clapton or hendrix as I have black dahlia murder or lamb of god so I really want a strat for that type of sound and building one sounds like it would be far more fun then just buying a squire classic or cheaper fender strat. Stewmac is definitely the kit I'd be going with but I think I'd be going black and gold again cause I loved that colour scheme. Get the gold bridge and gotta have some locking tuners. I love the gotoh locking tuners, once you've had a guitar where you just push the string through, clamp and cut regular machine heads feel laborious lol. Looks and sounds awesome, I also love that pickup guard too. Definitely be saving this video for when I go to build mine!

[@rivers9957]

Great jam at the end

[@BrianGossard]

Thanks. Hey Jackie by My Indian Summer.

[@robertsparks3584]

I think it looked and sound really good.

[@luisbasurto585]

what a video, gorgeous guitar

[@DON-sp8le]

I love your vids I remember the song called Rondo, still love it 😎

[@JPCustomGuitars]

Thank you I really enjoyed this

[@JohnnyGuitar15]

great video and editing skills my guy

[@JohnnyGuitar15]

also the guitar aint too bad either ;)

[@paraviolence]

Thanks for the video. Im about to build a T style in the same color.

[@thomasgarner2921]

awesome video! mine arrives in a few days - one thing i saw in a stewmac video is to not spray outside if the temp is high/low. For example heating up the lacquer then spraying outside in the snow - That may be why you had issues with the initial coating. - either way amazing video and guitar looks awesome! thanks

[@matts5803]

Very informal video, loved the Hey Jackie demo. Great pickup choice ;)

[@BrianGossard]

How did you know the song?

[@matts5803]

@@BrianGossard Hours of listening to it, lol

[@camilocala11]

Great job!

[@BrianGossard]

Thanks!

[@Bozo_Lord]

Anyone else have a slight stroke when he installed the tuners (STAGGERED) in the wrong order 😦? Jokes aside I love this content !!! Keep up the great work man!

[@BrianGossard]

What can I say. There’s always more to learn. I definitely messed that part up. Fixed it later. Thanks though for the encouragement!

[@Bozo_Lord]

@@BrianGossard no problem man! I’m getting into building and saw this last night, glad to see there’s options! Like I said in the previous comment; please keep up the great content!

[@BrianGossard]

Thanks! I will be doing more. I have a lot of irons in the fire so you may not see much from me right away. Don’t be alarmed if I’m quiet for a while. I have exciting projects in the works.

[@TheAciddragon069]

i know this is an older video but i hope you see this. for finishing end grain if you're using natural oil finishes the engrain will be darker and there really isn't anything you can do, but if using a stain sand the end grain 1or 2 grits higher

[@MixingGBP]

One trick is to sand the end grain with a much finer grit, say up to 400 or 600. Don’t skip a grit. This closes off more of the pores, therefore limiting the absorption and making the color more uniform. It works for me.

[@danielcastillo1225]

Bravo Monsieur 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@ifensler]

You can steam those dents out of the wood with a warm wet rag and a soldering tool.

[@Bloodray19]

Although not completely professional, but overall a very nice build. I've seen people repairing guitars as their fulltime job and not making this nice of a job

[@xraygaming3570]

11.7k subscribers now amazing 🤩

[@BrianGossard]

Thanks!

[@sydjamieson3494]

I built the Offset Trem kit from StewMac, and I can say it is a good kit. The only things you might want to know going in is the routs are narrow and if you want to upgrade to full sized pots you will find it extremely tight. Same with upgrading the toggle switch. I also had to go with a very small cap, same problem. I'd buy the kit minus all the hardware if it was available that way, as I ended up replacing almost everything. Grover Minis just drop in so no issues there.

[@3r1cratpool22]

I wonder how the pickups sounds. There is one offset with p90 style.

[@335blues1]

Great tutorial...... I'm ready !!!!! Any way that a genuine Fender neck can be substituted for the StewMac neck provided with the kit ?

[@jimdoner3443]

Just watched the video again Brian , your daughter helping sand and your dramatic lighting made me chuckle and smile, so how is the guitar a year later now, and did you ever put a name on the head stock ??? A year later update video short would be cool !!!

[@mikestroud9969]

Good video buddy. I would of done the same with buying those other pickups. Good job 😎👍👌💯🎸🎸✔️✔️

[@rizmum7]

Very inspiring. Thanks for d content. Love from 🇧🇳

[@seattleday9690]

I want to get the Stewmac Tele kit. I have ideas on that one.

[@PhpGtr]

Gotta admit, that project came out damn fine.

[@phayzyre1052]

Excellent video and thanks for posting! I’m currently looking at Stewmacs Telecaster kit and will probably be buying it here in the coming weeks. Your video here was a big help and gave me some insight as to what to expect when building one of these. Only suggestion I would like to give you is when you are spraying these guitars with paint, lacquer or whatever PLEASE use a respirator! That stuff they put in aerosol cans is not good for you. ☠️

[@Zeal808]

Tex mex pickups are $99 I most places. $159 probably for the fully loaded pick guard. Awesome video!

[@BrianGossard]

Thanks!

[@JosePineda-jn8jk]

Also paint when the weather is moderate, 67-77 degrees is like the most ideal with minimal moisture.

[@BrianGossard]

It was winter…

[@JosePineda-jn8jk]

@@BrianGossard yeah all just ideas for future builds which I am excited to see! 🙂

[@BrianGossard]

Thanks man!

[@victorgigante5374]

Now if only Maryland weather offered "minimal moisture" as an option.

[@Annunaki_0517]

Don’t worry about your expensive lenses. Spots, scratches even (believe it or not) cracks in the front element have a minimal effect on the final resolution of your images. Someone on the internet did a whole series of tests on this and only the final test with a severely damaged lens had a major effect on images. You can find the article if you search on something like “effects of lens imperfections on image quality” or something similar.

[@SHERIFF8311]

hello there i can see that you use the side to side vibrato when you play, not many people use it on electric guitar, i do too. greetings from Spain, nice guitar🙂

[@saddestchord7622]

I think I'd buy a Mexican Fender. They're really good. You're almost guaranteed a good neck and you probably won't have to do any end dressing, the bridge is probably better, I believe (though am not sure) they come with Tex Mex pickups, the cavity will be shielded, and it will have some resale value. And even though it will be poly, you don't have to paint it or saw on the headstock. But you obviously wanted to put it together yourself and that's cool, too.

[@BrianGossard]

I have a Mexican tele and it’s still one of my absolute favorites. No argument.

[@MixingGBP]

Yeah building your own is a labor of love for sure.

[@duckfluff]

woah the headstock looks exactly like the one on my hohner st special

[@mikemccourt6225]

Bravo

[@googlesuckslargepp8028]

Looks great man, personally i would throw in a mex trem for 20 dollars, and a graphtech nut, and maybe do some shielding if it needs it :)

[@BrianGossard]

I totally agree on the shielding. When I’m recording I do this weird thing where I connect a pedal, take off my shoe and put my toe on the wire to ground the signal and that kills all the hum. I do that with all my guitars (the fender made ones too).

[@bryantcochran5065]

I use finishing epoxy (Zpoxy) to pore fill. It never has blotchy finish areas because the pores are completely filled.

[@alexglover5727]

Great job on the guitar, if you’re spraying with nitro however make sure you have a proper filtered mask as it is very toxic, for safety I highly recommend getting proper PPE

[@BrianGossard]

Fair enough. I did wear a respirator though.

[@alexglover5727]

@@BrianGossard Awesome

[@randyoh9149]

nice guitar

[@Melchisedec81]

Great video and suck a great narrow tube that’s so easy to understand and follow. Great storytelling!

[@BrianGossard]

Thanks Chris!

[@kurosuzu]

What's the song at the end?! Sounds amazing!!!

[@BrianGossard]

Thanks! It’s actually my original song. It’s called Hey Jackie. Here’s a link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZjaaqSpqsarmpY

[@gregorio4646]

It's still early in the video, and I wonder if you will mention the neck pocket, and the inline pre drilled peg holes. These details are where the devil resides, lol.

[@mlagathomason2555]

I'm trying to build a guitar, wondering if it is ok to use an acoustic guitar neck for en electric one?

[@Musicasmarcantes765]

Top que pena que aqui no Brasil não tem esses splay

[@jimdoner3443]

So Brian did the outside weather make the job more difficult in any way ? Cold wet conditions are the worst !!!! Nice work nice guitar. What was the total end cost (approximately) ?

[@BrianGossard]

It’s hard to put together a total price without really sitting down and thinking about it. You can kind of shop around and do the math. I would say it probably came in around 400 or 500. Way less than an American Strat and just as nice in my opinion. Part of the appeal is being able to do it yourself. If you look at my most recent videos I’m actually playing it.

[@davehendricks7023]

whoa you rocked that nut file way to much side to side that can cause problems later on.

[@davidcarlin3850]

No copper tape inside the cavities for single coil hum cancelling ? Also stew Mac makes a special paint for shielding cavities

[@GeorgiaRidgerunner]

This video is great I have one question though what was the purpose of the nintendo unit

[@BrianGossard]

Well the NES guitar was just kind of an experiment. It was okay, but impractical so I sold it.

[@GeorgiaRidgerunner]

@@BrianGossard oh it was actually made into a guitar . Damn I bet you had gamers giving you grief for months over that

[@dondeestasquenoteveo]

Please use a respirator when spraying lacquer.

[@RyanChenMusic]

Did you darken the fretboard? It looks darker than in the beginning of the video

[@BrianGossard]

I always add a bit of fretboard oil. It nourishes the wood and also makes it appear darker.

[@minkorrh]

Make friends with the painter at your local autobody shop. I deliver parts and can get bodies done for about $30 if I use what's in the gun at the time, $50 if I pick a colour. I do the sand/prep/seal and hand it over. 2 coats of clear on top which is good to wetsand smooth.

[@idontgivea1769]

I’m considering building my own strat. Only thing that leaves me in the dust is electronics. If i want a single humbucker and a single volume, do i only need a 500k pot and a 500k output jack (and the humbucker, of course)?

[@HCrockt]

Try with a 0k output jack, otherwise you won‘t hear anything.

[@richarde3378]

This was very interesting and entertaining to watch. Great narration, too. Thanks!

[@owdpotter]

I have a question you may be able to answer for me , I have a guitar kit to build a stratocaster look alike but I have run into a problem .The instructions tell me to ground the green wire but i have one white wire and two black wires which is the ground >> Thanks

[@BrianGossard]

I'm not totally sure since I don't know what you're looking at specificaly. What I CAN say is that whatever is wired to the back of the pots should lead to the ground.

[@turftone]

Do you plan on putting the tuning machines on in the correct order ?

[@BrianGossard]

What order would you put them in?

[@turftone]

Looks like there are different length posts...the low E and B string are taller, isn't this for proper nut pressure/angle it's more common with Sperzel machines but it helps with not having string trees on all strings. I just thought it looked weird one short one tall three short and another tall one...wondered if you'd even noticed or was my tv playing tricks on me...

[@BrianGossard]

I just checked. I’ll be darned, you’re right! They’re staggered tuners and I didn’t even notice that. I might switch the order later. Works fine though. Thanks for the heads up.

[@alojz300]

cool

[@alojz300]

hope you changed the position of the tuners :)

[@ekisoderqvist]

Very useful and nice video, thanks for making this! I know these comments must be full of people with all kinds of criticisms and opinions (guitarists 😂….) but shouldn’t you ideally do a truss rod adjustment before string height and intonation, as adjusting it would affect those things?

[@michaelvanbuskirk8845]

Spray painting in the snow? 😲

[@marcosulloa4019]

Is it just me or The edge of the body of the unfinished guitar looks different to common Stratocaster? It looks less rounded like the edge of the Telecaster.

[@BrianGossard]

Looks the same to me. I don’t know. I mostly just play it.

[@greggpospiel629]

Also a question; how long did it take to put together from start to finish?

[@ryananthony4840]

This would take me under 4 hours

[@joshemartinez2577]

Can you please, PLEASE make a video about soldering the electronics? I know nothing about it, and i want to change the cheap pickups i have

[@tomclementsmusic1654]

Check out Breja toneworks on youtube. Step by step. great examples

[@BrianGossard]

I would but I’m not the authority. Breja tone works all the way.

[@JamesWalshBristolKids]

I would condition the neck with linseed oil once a year.

[@ericr7367]

Good job, nice tone.👍 I love kits, you are only limited by your vision 🤩 and skill set. 😫🤣 For me, I'm partial to candy finishes and body sculpting. That 'hogany must be 8#+ I think. 🤔 But beautiful nonetheless. 👍

[@MixingGBP]

I had no idea you could spray paint outside in the middle of winter😂.

[@justletmepostthis276]

I didn't see you adjust the length and height of the guitar bridge saddles. Did you do that?

[@surfcollector]

So wait, warm the spray lacquer up and then take it outside in the snow??

[@ICSVortex-DCS]

Did you paint this guitar in winter ??

[@Jesus4Life78]

Hey Brian.Does this guitar really play ss good as a fender stratocaster

[@Jaimefumer13]

Very good work. Thank you for sharing.

[@kiwi5757]

What is "sodder"? Solder?

[@pushironpatrol2848]

The guitar looks sweet but the neck relief should be set before you start the setup. Doing it last throws everything else out

[@tomclementsmusic1654]

I've heard the neck should be straight before any fret levelling.

[@BrianGossard]

It should be straight. Do not set relief before leveling.

[@pushironpatrol2848]

Yeah it's should be straight before fret levelling but the relief should be set before you start the rest of the set up, not after as it will have an effect on your intonation and action

[@m.l.j.1405]

can you please make a video about stewmacs LP-Style Electric Guitar kit

[@BrianGossard]

I’ve thought about it, but I have a really nice Epiphone LP that I’ve had for many years and Upgraded. I’m not sure I can justify having another one.

[@benlow46]

you don't need a string tree with those tuners, they're staggered if you had installed them correctly, did you not realize the different heights?

[@robertbaker5445]

I was about to say the same thing!

[@BrianGossard]

Yeah, you got me. I learned something new thanks to the comments section this time. What can I say? We’re always learning.

[@willisleonard2135]

How the hell did you get a good paint job in cold weather? I never get paint to work in cold temps

[@buck7477]

How’s the neck? I like a chunky beefy neck!